Anagram
by Psychoblue
Summary: Kunimitsu infiltrates Shadaloo's mobile base to obtain a fragment of Pandora. Upon running afoul of Vega, the two ninjas unexpectedly unleash their deepest, darkest desires as Pandora awakens their darkness. Vega/Kunimitsu oneshot.


There were four armed soldiers surrounding the target, one for each of the four cardinal directions. A few feet away, six monitor cyborgs stood at attention, three each for the two doors. All ten of them were equipped with assault rifles, each capable of killing a human in a single shot and then tearing apart the corpse with twenty more shots in rapid succession. Judging from the make and model of the rifles, it was doubtful that something as common as Kevlar would be able to stand up to them.

Fortunately for Kunimitsu, she was anything but "common."

Quietly assessing the situation at hand, the ninja reached into her pack strapped behind her back and pulled out the first of her many homemade instruments that she brought with her for this mission. While she didn't have any Kevlar underneath her purple bodysuit, Kunimitsu wasn't too terribly threatened by the possibility of being shot at. As a former Manji ninja, the red-haired kunoichi was trained to deal with multiple enemies in a single setting, even when those enemies were armed with projectile weapons much like these soon-to-be enemies were. As long as she remained focused, Kunimitsu could disarm all ten of them with ease.

The real problem would occur once the ten of them were disarmed. When they were all armed with the same weapon, they were more or less the same foe with the same strengths and weaknesses. Once Kunimitsu removed those weapons, she would reset the situation and create unforeseen variables. What if one of the enemies carried a second pistol on him, or one of the monitor cyborgs had a hidden ability that Kunimitsu didn't anticipate? Most ninjas didn't concern themselves with things like this, but Kunimitsu learned a long time ago that no opponent should be underestimated.

As she thought about that, Kunimitsu noticed that one of her long pigtails was slightly dropping over the grate of the air duct that she was currently occupying. Slowly pulling it back up, the ninja took the opportunity to pull down her kitsune mask over her face and hold the instrument she removed from her backpack in front of her. Kunimitsu didn't doubt that she could disarm the enemy forces without being riddled with holes, but the sound of gunfire would draw unwanted attention. Disarming ten men would be a task for any ninja, but disarming one hundred men?

_Or worse, _Kunimitsu thought grimly as she placed the first instrument in front of her: a electromagnetic device specifically tuned to the monitor cyborg's frequency, causing a forced shutdown that would subdue six of the ten enemies (at least in theory). _What if instead of one hundred men, I have to wind up facing their leader, who's worse than a thousand men? _

Before being expelled from the Manji clan, Kunimitsu fancied herself a master thief. The Manji clan's basest modus operandi was to steal from the rich and give to the poor, and Kunimitsu was one of the absolute best when it came to stealing. Whether it was an armored car with gold bricks or the vault of a massive corporation, Kunimitsu could secure the funds with little trouble. It wasn't until she started stealing from individuals that Kunimitsu learned to appreciate the resolve of one man's worth when it came to valued possessions.

With this current mission, Kunimitsu was infilitrating the expansive mobile base of the dreaded crime syndicate Shadaloo, who was lead by the villainous Bison. As a former agent of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Kunimitsu was fully aware of the demons that lurked within the souls of men like him, particularly when it came to the Mishima clan. Bison, from what her current employer explained, carried an unholy supernatural power said to rival that of the Mishimas, which was reason enough for the kunoichi to avoid a direct confrontation with Bison as much as possible.

That is why Kunimitsu pulled out a second instrument from her backpack: a pair of gas pellets that would fill the room and knock out the four armed men surrounding the target without so much as a sound. Once her kitsune mask was fully fastened, Kunimitsu dropped the two pellets down between the grates of the air duct and watched them fall to the ground, keeping her other hand around the button that would activate the electromagnetic scrambler.

To Kunimitsu's good fortune, she timed her button press at the precise moment the gas pellets hit the ground and unleashed their noxious content. By doing so, she was able to synchronize the disabling of the monitor cyborgs with the moment that the armed guards surrounding the target fell to the ground unconscious. If one of those happened a moment sooner or later, then it would have given a moment for one of them to raise an alarm. Kunimitsu wasn't going to leave that to chance.

Once all movement below her ceased, Kunimitsu kicked the grate out of its hinges and jumped to the floor below, where her prize lay in front of her waiting to be claimed. Her employer told her very little about this "Pandora" device that seemed to be all the rage on the black market. While the main item was still situated in the Antarctic being studied by scientists, black market dealers were spreading rumors about fragments of the box being just as viable as the box itself, and those who could find a Pandora fragment held the keys to untold riches.

Kuni looked at the glowing fragment that lay beyond the force field surrounding it. The fragment was gray in color, with a neon blue etched around it in an incomplete design. Being that the fragment was about as big as Kunimitsu's foot, the kunoichi surmised that it would have fetched an even bigger price tag on the black market than what her employer was willing to pay her. _…don't think like that, _she told herself as she turned away from the fragment and walked over to the control panel a few feet away. _I was given a contract, and I intend to honor it. _

Upon entering the first passcode that she was given in her briefing, Kunimitsu activated the air ducts and sucked out the noxious gas that was polluting the room and avoiding the possibility of the gas setting off an alarm if it were in the room for too long. Once that was done, Kunimitsu entered the second passcode: one that would disable the force field surrounding the fragment and allow her to take it like she had so many other items before it.

Her plan of escape relied heavily on timing: within the next ten minutes, another Shadaloo soldier would enter the room to relieve one of the men of their posts. Kunimitsu would use that opportunity to subdue him and then take her clothing (Kunimitsu's briefing assured that the next person on shift was a woman who also had long red hair), and then hide among the Shadaloo ranks until the mobile base landed an hour later, at which point she would quickly make tracks to the rendezvous point and complete the mission.

But when she entered the passcode given to her, nothing happened. The force field remained as unbreakable as ever, threatening to vaporize anything that tried to get past it. Kunimitsu silently cursed under her breath as she wondered why her passcode wasn't working. It was entirely possible that the information her employer gave her was outdated, and the passcode for the force field was changed regularly while the passcode for something as simple as the air ducts was left as it had been when the intel was still up to date.

_Well, I'm definitely not going to abort the mission just because the intel is out of date, _Kunimitsu told herself as she stepped away from the passcode and reached into her backpack to pull out another one of her homemade devices: a password generator that would connect into the hard drive and create a password for her to use rather than seek out the current one. An organization as advanced as Shadaloo would likely have safeguards for computers trying to hack into the database, but Kunimitsu's device wasn't made for hacking into computers like this one. It was made to give data to the computer rather than take it away: it was a "charity" that few could appreciate.

Once the device was plugged into the port next to the control panel, Kunimitsu breathed a sigh of relief when the screen on her device indicated that it had successfully entered the mainframe and was in the process of generating a code. Being it was made from parts of other devices, it didn't have the blinding speed that those who belonged to more organized syndicates would carry with them. Kunimitsu's devices required patience…and being she had waited over 20 years for the day she would one day pay back that certain someone for her humiliation, patience was something Kunimitsu had in abundance.

Realizing that she now had a moment's peace, Kunimitsu took off her mask and exhaled deeply. Things were so much simpler back then, when she was merely an exile from the Manji clan and was allowed to do her own freelance work on a more public scale. Under the employ of Kazuya's Mishima Zaibatsu, Kunimitsu was given luxuries that the Manji clan denied her time and time again. With the Zaibatsu's protection, Kunimitsu could be a thief by day and an elite socialite by night.

But once Kazuya lost power and Kunimitsu was soundly defeated by the Manji clan's leader, she was forced to go into hiding, and she could no longer enjoy the luxuries that her hiring fees would allow her. In the 20+ years since then, her trusted grandfather had passed away and Kunimitsu was left alone. Before her current employer offered her this mission, Kunimitsu wasn't making much more than what she was making when she was in the Manji clan. Perhaps she was even worse off now, because at least the Manji clan would provide her shelter, equipment, and food.

Some day, Kunimitsu would reclaim her pride, but for now…

"…beautiful."

It was the faintest of whispers, almost like the wind, but Kunimitsu heard it as clearly as if someone were talking directly at her. Not only that, but there was a stifling air of violent intent that wasn't there a moment ago. Quickly fastening her kitsune mask, Kunimitsu reached for her hip and pulled out her ceremonial kunai that had one her so many battles in the past. There were much deadlier weapons around her, like the assault rifles, but Kunimitsu's mission was a covert one: no one must be made aware of her presense, and those who were needed to be addressed.

"There is no need to hide your beauty, my dear," the whispering voice cooed in Kunimitsu's ear, and she could feel someone breathing down on her. With a quick swipe of her kunai, the kunoichi spun around to attack her stalker, but only swiped the empty air. Nevertheless, she was able to see the faint shadow of someone flying above her, and Kunimitsu responded accordingly by flipping backwards just as the shadow fell down above her for a swipe of his own. Her opponent was revealed, and that was enough to reset the situation and take away his element of surprise.

The intruder was good-looking enough, with long brown hair tied in a braid and a purple snake tattoo going up his tall, chiseled body. Judging from the way he was able to sneak up on her, he was probably a fellow ninja, though his purple-and-yellow leggings with a red sash around his waist made Kunimitsu wonder if he realized that being a ninja also meant not calling attention to himself. Of course, if this man was who Kunimitsu thought he was, he was so good at his job that his colors made no difference to him.

"I take it you must be Vega," Kunimitsu said bluntly.

"It pleases me greatly that an exquisite female like yourself knows who I am," Vega replied with a cruel grin in his handsome face before hiding that face with his trademark protective mask. "As a nobleman and a true defender of beauty, it reaffirms my prestige that a gorgeous woman that I've never met before already knows my identity. It speaks volumes about my reputation as a gentleman."

"Nothing I've heard about you is favorable, especially when it comes to women," Kunimitsu replied bluntly as she lifted her kuni and entered her fighting stance. "Let's make this simple: I want that fragment, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to leave this ship with it in my possession. You can either step away and forget you ever saw me, or I can put this kunai in your chest and you'll forget you saw me when synapses stop going off in your brain."

The enemy ninja chuckled at this threat, before erupting into a mad cackle. Kunimitsu was given a briefing on Vega, but his reputation was well-known to the kunoichi even before this mission. Vega was one of the Four Lords of Shadaloo (the fourth being Sagat, who currently distanced himself from the organization due to a conflict of interests) and the chief assassin of the organization. Out of Bison's generals, Vega was the one who Bison trusted the most, being one of the precious few that could match Bison's ruthlessness.

But whereas Kunimitsu took lives when there was no other alternative, Vega took lives because he got high off of it. Even above his well-publicized narcissism, Vega was a murderous sadist who enjoyed prolonging the suffering of his victims before ending their existence, especially if his target was a woman. "Kyahahaha…oh dear me, OH DEAR ME," Vega repeated as he lunged for Kunimitsu with his claw ready to strike. "I will very much enjoy drinking your natural wine! A woman with a tongue like yours is a rare treat indeed!"

Vega's speed and quickness was potent, and if Kunimitsu was only a fraction slower, she would have been run through. Even with her trained reflexes, Vega's claw still scraped by the horn of her left shoulder pad, breaking the golden horn off as landed on his hands and sprung back to his feet. So sooner had he lifted his head, Vega quickly weaved to the left to avoid a throwing star and watched it plant itself into the metal wall of the room. "You carry shuriken…interesting," Vega hummed as he took to the air and vaulted off the same metal wall, lunging towards Kunimitsu with his claw ready for attack. "Let me see what other secrets you hold!"

Rather than let Vega does as he pleased from above, Kunimitsu instead took off from the ground below and jumped into the air to meet Vega head-on. With her kunai in front of her, the kunoichi intercepted Vega's claw and wrapped her free hand around Vega's rope. Taking control of her enemy, Kunimitsu turned Vega around in mid-air and made it so that when they return to the floor, it was Vega who crashed down onto his back with Kunimitsu's knees buried into his body and her hand still around his throat.

A pained gurgle came from Vega's throat before he lifted his powerful legs and launched Kunimitsu off of him. Taking a quick gasp for air, the crazed ninja flipped back to his feet and dashed forward with his feet rapidly pattering against the floor. Kunimitsu readied her kunai for another stab, but while Vega might have been insane, he was definitely not stupid. Rather than go for another thrust, Vega instead performed a leaping backflip, striking Kunimitsu in the chin with his heels and launching her into the air as he landed gracefully.

With Kunimitsu still plummeting to the ground, Vega thrust his claw forward and finally drew the first blood he so desperately craved. Though it wasn't a complete impalement, the claw did shred through Kunimitsu's purple bodysuit, partially exposed her toned abdomen made possible through years of refinement and staining them with her blood…and then an instant later, she vanished completely. Vega was no stranger to opponents who could teleport themselves at will, but even his eyes widened in astonishment when even the blood that he drew vanished along with the woman.

He wouldn't have to wait long for Kunimitsu to reappear, as the blood he drew suddenly dripped down on top of his head. Feeling the warm liquid drip on his head, Vega shuddered in delight as he looked up to see Kunimitsu plummeting down with her kunai raised for the kill much like Vega did with his claw moments before. With a shrill chirp, Vega quickly jumped away to avoid Kunimitsu's attack before pressing his feet against the nearest wall and again launching himself to his quarry with his claw pointed forward.

Too bad for him, Kunimitsu was waiting for him, delivering a jumping spin kick to the side of his head and sending him crashing down to the ground. Vega staggered to his feet to the sound of Kunimitsu's feet rapidly beating against the ground as she dashed in for the finisher. Though his vision was impaired, Vega still had enough of his wits about him to slide forward and successfully trip Kunimitsu as she came towards him. As a result, it was Kunimitsu fell to the ground while Vega stood up and allowed his vision to clear.

Once it did, however, he finally noticed that in the previous exchange, Kunimitsu delivered a cut to Vega's toned abdomen much like he did to her. "It…it hurts so good," Vega said after taking a moment to savor the desperation that the kunoichi put into the wound, once again shuddering in delight. "You are truly magnificent, woman. Please, tell me your name so that I may remember this day for eternity!"

Kunimitsu's response came in the form of yet a trio of throwing stars which Vega carefully evaded with swift weaves, jumping over the final shuriken where Kunimitsu was waiting for him in mid-air. Just as Kunimitsu lifted her hand for a downwards stab, Vega surprised her by wrapping his left arm around Kunimitsu's slender waist and hurling her back down to the floor, watching her bounce off of the ground and eliciting a shout of pain from the woman before she vanished once again.

This time, Vega didn't have droplets of blood to warn him of Kunimitsu's next attack, and his ignorance was paid for with the kunoichi latching onto his right arm and rapidly running in a circle, taking Vega along for the ride until both of them were moving at an abnormally fast pace thanks to Kunimitsu putting her ki into her muscular thighs to increase her speed. After countless revolutions, Kunimitsu slid to a halt and successfully pulled Vega's claw off of his hand while he stumbled in a disoriented haze.

"…it would be easy for me to kill you right now," Kunimitsu stated coldly as she lifted her kunai and held in front of her as Vega clumsily stumbled towards her with a glazed look in his mad eyes. Instead of running him through, Kunimitsu instead stepped away as Vega took a wild swipe and turned back to her password generator still sitting at the control panel. Picking it up and noticing the green light indicating its completed task and the numbers it generated, Kunimitsu entered the numbers into the control panel and watched the force field around her target dissipate. "Lucky for you, killing you isn't something I'm going to do unless I was hired to."

Shoving Vega away as he stumbled blindly into her, Kunimitsu walked over to the exposed Pandora fragment. As she approached it, she thought about the vast sum of money she would be given once she delivered the fragment to her employer. With that kind of money, she would finally be able to lessen her workload and regain, at least partially, the prestige and luxury she enjoyed with Kazuya's Zaibatsu. With that kind of money, she could finally afford the top-level equipment that she had to deny herself due to her seclusion.

With that kind of money, she could finally put aside her cash troubles and focus on the one thing that she desired more than anything else…

"Madre de Dios…yo quiero tus amor…"

Vega's lustfully cruel whisper once again entered her ears, only this time tinged with something much more sinister. The murderous intent that permeated from Vega's body and soul was now being amplified one hundred fold, to the point where Kunimitsu had trouble breathing correctly. Turning around expecting Vega attempting a sneak attack, Kunimitsu instead saw Vega literally transforming before her eyes. A dark purple aura of malice and bloodlust surrounded the ninja has his skin took on an ebony luster, with exotic markings forming across his torso and arms while his mask and claw gained a neon purple glow.

"I need you…I want you wrapped around me like a hangman's noose," he moaned as he lifted his head and revealed his glowing red eyes to Kunimitsu. "You have no idea how much I crave you…how much I desire you! I've waited so long for you to grow, to mature…to become the beautiful opponent that I have longed for all of my life!"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Vega," Kunimitsu said as she resumed her fighting stance as Vega lurched towards her with murder on his mind. "Get any closer and I will cut you down."

"But it's not flattery, my flawless angel," Vega hummed as he lifted his claw while he took his other hand and removed his mask, revealing how his mysterious transformation creeped into his face, turning his brown hair white and giving the inside of his mouth a crimson glow. "I have counted the days that I have waited for you to come back for me and fulfill my desires. It shall be here that you set me free and grant me the ultimate contest of beauty and strength, and together we shall decide who shall carry the title of the world's most beautiful fighter!" Placing the tip of his claw on his tongue, Vega slowly ran his tongue down its metal frame as he continued speaking. "Yo quiero tus amor…Cammy!"

"'Cammy?'" Kunimitsu repeated as she tried to remember where she heard that name before. _He's not even paying attention to me anymore, _Kunimitsu thought as Vega continued lurching towards her, his eyes not even making contact with her head. _Whatever is happening to him, he's hallucinating about someone. I better get the hell out of here before things start to get out of…out of…_

Kunimitsu's trail of thought was lost as an intense vertigo enveloped her mind, causing her to stumble back and forth much like Vega was doing now. The vertigo became so bad, that Kunimitsu dropped the precious fragment that she was sent to claim, just barely hanging on to her kunai. When the fragment dropped to the ground, however, Kunimitsu noticed just for an instant that it was giving off the same dark purple energy that was enveloping Vega…but an instant later, that same aura enveloped her too and embraced her in its maddening wake.

A sharp tingling surged through Kunimitsu's body as her pale skin turned the same ebony color as Vega's, the same strange markings etching itself into her body with her mask glowing sharply. The kunoichi stifled a scream as the vertigo threatened to consume her mind and render her unconscious…but seconds later, the vertigo subsided into a mild tingle, allowing her to gaze upon her new foe…her true foe, the one she desired to face more than any other even though she told herself otherwise for years.

"…Yoshimitsu…"

Though logic would dictate that what she was seeing had to have been some sort of trick, since she kept close tabs on the armored swordsman that now stood before her, silently pointing his sword at Kunimitsu with his glowing eyes boring into her. He wasn't even supposed to be in the same airspace, much less the same place she was at now…but there he was, standing before her looking as arrogantly perfect as he ever did. Suddenly, Kunimitsu forgot all about her mission, and the foe that was about to kill her just a few seconds ago.

All that mattered as the person who stood before her now, the Manji clan leader Yoshimitsu and the man who exiled her from the clan and instigated her rapid fall from grace more than twenty years before.

Dashing forward just as Yoshimitsu did the same, Kunimitsu's kunai lunged for the kill and was intercepted by Yoshimitsu's armored forearm. "I don't know what you're doing here, Yoshimitsu," Kunimitsu growled with sinister intent as she pushed against her enemy and prepared to slit his throat like she should have done years before, "but you've just picked out your grave marker. I won't let you get away from me!"

"So beautiful, you are," Yoshimitsu hummed in that ridiculous robotic voice given to him via slowly forsaking his humanity in favor of Dr. Bosconovitch's science. "Long time I have waited for you, I have. In my arms, I shall hold you as you scream!"

"SHUT UP," Kunimitsu howled as Yoshimitsu vaulted away before bouncing off of the wall and lunging towards his enemy with his sword pointed directly at her. Kunimitsu threw another pair of throwing stars at her oncoming enemy, but Yoshimitsu barged through them like a bull and his blade struck true, slashing Kunimitsu's shoulder and drawing forth a streak of red as her ceremonial shoulderpad was completely obiliterated while Yoshimitsu whizzed by. Watching Yoshimitsu land on the ground, Kunimitsu performed her own acrobatic move by cartwheeling forward and bringing down her legs heavy on her nemesis' head before landing her feet and launching herself arms-first and toppling Yoshimitsu over with a Shark Attack.

Rolling back to her feet, Kunimitsu held her kunai up close and watched Yoshimitsu cackle wildly. This was so typical of him: he fancied himself as this beacon of justice and goodness, but the reality of the situation was that he was arrogant and full of himself. If Yoshimitsu was as altruistic as others claimed he was, he would have stood up for Kunimitsu when the Manji voted her out of the clan. The two of them had known each other since they were children, and were hailed as the two strongest and most skill ninjas in the clan.

And despite all of that chivalry and friendship, Yoshimitsu allowed the clan to cast her out, leaving her as a freelancer and denying her sanctuary when she needed it with Kazuya's demise. For that, Kunimitsu was going to make him pay with pain greater than he could possibly imagine. Perhaps then, when he was wrapped in agony, could he understand how deeply Kunimitsu resented him for making her suffer all of that humiliation.

The cackling suddenly ceased as Yoshimitsu rolled forward like a wild tire, stopping onto to deliver a lethal thrust of his sword to what would have been Kunimitsu's chest had she not weaved to the left to avoid the blade. Lifting her kunai above her head, the kunoichi attempted to drive the blade into his brain, but Yoshimitsu flipped away before the death blow could be dealt. "Desire you, I do. Need you, I do so badly," Yoshimitsu whispered in that strange babble that Kunimitsu couldn't stand, as if Yoshimitsu knew how much it irritated her when they were children. "Your love, I will draw out! Your blood, I will bathe in!"

"You're the one who's going to bleeding, when I give you a new orifice or twelve," Kunimitsu spat back as Yoshimitsu crouched down in preparation for his next attack, or his final attack if Kunimitsu was able to get a proper opening. Feeling Yoshimitsu's ki rise sharply, the kunoichi decided that she wasn't going to let him do as he pleased as rushed forward for the final attack. "DIE!"

Just as Kunimitsu was going to run him through, Yoshimitsu suddenly jumped forward, driving his shoulder into Kunimitsu's face and knocking her kitsune mask right off her face as she was launched into the air while the swordsman planted his feet on the wall behind her and launched himself off to deliver a drive-by slash to Kunimitsu's body. And then, more followed: countless slashes delivered faster than the eye could see, as if Yoshimitsu was nothing more than a thick line dashing by Kunimitsu while she was caught in a highway of blades and speed.

"BLOODY HIGH CLAW!"

Yoshimitsu's voice pierced the air as Kunimitsu fell back to the floor when he delivered the final cut. As Kunimitsu hit the ground and groaned in pain, she silently wondered if maybe she should have brought along some Kevlar after all, being that her bodysuit was now in tatters, revealing more of her transformed body and the markings etched onto it. But modesty wasn't really chief on Kunimitsu's mind, nor the pain she was in from Yoshimitsu's technique. Instead, all she could think about is many pieces she was tear from Yoshimitsu's body in return…if only she could get in close enough to deliver the attack.

"…so beautiful, you are," Yoshimitsu whispered as he suddenly stood before Kunimitsu, holding her exposed face and using his free hand to pull off the bands that held her long pigtails, allowing her hair to fall into its natural free form. "Waited a long time for this, I have. Without peer, your beauty is." Feeling Yoshimitsu's hot breath beat down on her face, Kunimitsu clenched her kunai tight even as the swordsman gave her a very brief reminder of what she once desired from him, before Manji politics tore them apart. "Your lips, I must have…ACK!"

As soon as Yoshimitsu tried to kiss Kunimitsu, the kunoichi sprang into attack and delivered a powerful punch to the swordsman chest, sending him sprawling backwards as Kunimitsu pulled out another throwing star and tossed it at Yoshimitsu's head. Predictably, the swordsman swatted it away…but in doing so, he left himself wide open to Kunimitsu teleporting in front of him an instant later and slicing his abdomen. "So predictable," Kunimitsu growled before teleporting once again, this time behind Yoshimitsu to cut him across his back.

Feeling the warmth of his bodily fluid splash on her, Kunimitsu teleported again and again, delivering cut after cut as Yoshimitsu flailed about wildly trying to catch her. It was uncharacteristic of Yoshimitsu to be so openly afraid of punishment like this, especially since he was the only one in the Manji clan to master the Double Suicide technique without literally killing himself, but Kunimitsu was a firm believer of acting before reacting. Yoshi gave her an opportunity, and twelve slashes later, Kunimitsu teleported in front of him again and prepared to capitalize on that opportunity with a slash to the heart.

Sadly for Kunimitsu, it was an opportunity wasted as Yoshimitsu suddenly caught Kunimitsu's hand and planted another kiss on her face, making sure she could taste the copper that she had drawn from him before the two combatants pushed each other away. The two of them were bleeding quite heavily, the wounds of battle leaking the blood of madness while their breaths were tired and sharp. "…my heartache, how does it taste," Yoshimitsu said with a pained whisper as he lifted his sword for another attack. "My gift of pleasure through pain, how does it feel?"

"I never needed your charity, Yoshimitsu, and when I did, you never gave it to me," Kunimitsu growled as her crimson eyes burned with hate, readying her kunai for another exchange. "I don't care if I have to fight you until the stars turn cold…I will make you pay for my humiliation!"

Just as the two fighters crouched down in preparation for another assault, however, the two of them felt their vitality drain from their bodies, and with it the bloodthirsty madness that consumed them. Not only that, but the strange transformation that overcame Kunimitsu vanished, returning her skin to its original pigment and removing the strange markings on her body, while also returning her blood to its original red color. More importantly, the throes of madness that came over Kunimitsu lifted, and her vision cleared to reveal the true identity of "Yoshimitsu."

"…you are not her," Vega said as he gripped where Kunimitsu slashed him across his belly, thankful that his guts didn't spill out. "To think that I got so worked up over someone like you…truly, you are a magnificent creature…"

"…but I'm not Cammy, right?"

Vega's smug expression contorted into a snarl as he digested Kunimitsu's words, giving the woman a slight sense of satisfaction in that she was able to interrupt the pretty boy's preening just for a little while. Turning to look at the target, Kunimitsu noticed that the Pandora fragment had lost its glow, and was now just barely giving off enough luster to make the light visible. "I guess that this thing is the reason that we went crazy on each other," Kunimitsu said out loud, causing Vega's eyes to shift to the fragment. "What is Bison planning to do with that?"

"…he is planning to change the world. That is enough for me," Vega responded before standing back up and picking his mask off of the ground. Placing it back on his face, the masked madman lifted his claw and resumed his fighting stance. "Now then…where were we?"

"_That is enough. Vega, stand down!"_

"_Kunimitsu, that goes for you too!"_

Hearing the voice of both of their masters echo throughout the room's loudspeaker, the two ninjas quickly stood at attention. As violent as the two of them might have been, they were still sworn by their code to obey their contracted employers until their services were no longer required. Still, Kunimitsu couldn't help but raise a question at her employer's voice, who had gone off to Shadaloo's headquarters in Thailand to fight Bison himself. "Mr. Heihachi…?"

"_Bison and I have reached an agreement. He will share his resources with us in exchange for our cooperation and intel," _Heihachi's voice stated over the loudspeaker as Kunimitsu's eyes shifted to the fragment. _"We shall let him keep his little fragment for now, for the combined prize will prove more beneficial to us than if we were squabbling over a little sample like that. As promised, though, I will pay you the contracted amount once you land in Thailand, as well as give you quintuple that for your continued services as your salary."_

"…you are most generous, Mr. Heihachi," Kunimitsu said with a nod of her head. "We will discuss the particulars at the rendezvous point."

"…_welcome to Shadaloo, Ms. Kunimitsu," _Bison's voice said haughtily as the woman turned to Vega, who was standing at attention as obediently as anyone possibly could to a commander that wasn't in the room. _"I trust that Vega demonstrated the hospitality and friendship that we offer to those who wish to join our ranks. He is, after all, a gentleman at his very core. Heh heh heh…"_

Turning back to Kunimitsu, Vega put his clawed hand behind him and instead used his free hand to take Kunimitsu's own and gently kiss it. "…senorita, I humbly request that you follow me to the dressing room. No doubt your tattered clothes are most uncomfortable and you would prefer something…warmer for the remainder of your flight."

"…I suppose," Kunimitsu said lowly as she walked over to password generator and put it back into her backpack which had fallen down on the floor when she first became aware of Vega.

"…by the way," Vega whispered next to Kunimitsu's ear before handing her kitsune mask, "…you tasted delicious."

To that, Kunimitsu said nothing as she placed her mask back over her face and watched Vega exit the room, cackling as madly as ever.


End file.
